Editorial: Roses & thorns

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Teens earn awards

Hard work and dedication to meeting goals paid off for Douglas County teenagers Emily Hopfer, Sianna Casey and Marissa Morrow.

Hopfer, 18, of Days Creeks is Oregon FFA Star Farmer for 2014. She earned the honor by developing over eight years a herd of Gelbvieh cattle. She began building the herd when she was a fourth-grader. That’s more than a little impressive.

Casey, 17, of Roseburg finished second this month at the Oregon Distinguished Young Women scholarship program in Salem.

Casey, who was named Douglas County Distinguished Young Woman earlier this year, earned a total of $6,500 in scholarships at the county and state competitions.

Another Roseburg 17-year-old, Umpqua Valley Distinguished Young Woman Marissa Morrow, was one of eight contestants in the state contest.

Morrow and Casey will be Roseburg High School seniors this fall.

Meanwhile, Hopfer plans to attend Oregon State University in Corvallis and major in agricultural business.

Sounds of summer

When Tuesday rolls around, thousands of people will likely feel something’s missing in their lives. It’s time for the annual withdrawal from Music on the Half Shell.

Music enthusiasts have flocked to Roseburg’s Stewart Park every Tuesday since late June to enjoy the free summer concerts.

Those feeling the biggest loss must be the many volunteers who make up the Music on the Half Shell Committee. They have been meeting every Tuesday since October to plan the summer concert series.

We owe them our gratitude for their time, efforts and dedication. It was another wonderful season of performances.

We also offer bouquets of roses to the many sponsors who make the series possible. Without the cash donations from businesses and individuals, the committee wouldn’t be able to pay the musicians and keep the concerts free.

The entertainers always marvel at what a fine community we have. They cite two reasons: The concerts are free, and you can put your blanket out in the morning and trust that it will still be there when you return with your evening picnic.

The concerts on the riverbank of the South Umpqua truly are a delightful way to enjoy summer in the Umpqua Valley.

Putting out fires

They’re just doing their job, but we’d like to thank the quick work of the Douglas Forest Protective Association and fire departments across the county for promptly extinguishing the small fires popping up around the county.

DFPA is excelling at keeping the fires small and containing them quickly.

The hundreds of lightning strikes earlier this week had to make that a challenge.

It’s a disastrous fire season in Oregon, but so far we’ve only had to deal with hazy skies from distant fires in Douglas County.

Smokey the Bear is celebrating his 70th birthday this year. Let’s show him he’s taught us well.

And, if you’re looking for more information on the fire suppression efforts by DFPA, check out the agency’s Facebook page. There are plenty of photos and commentary on where fires are being battled or lightning has struck.